Crash
by Damonficgirl
Summary: "There was a moment before she heard the screech of the breaking car when Audrey knew that something was wrong but her conscious mind hadn't yet registered what it was,..." How will the accident affect Nathan and Audrey's relationship? FINAL CHAPTER "Alone At Last" UP NOW
1. Chapter 1

**Crash**

**Setting:** Vaguely late Season 2.

There was a moment before she heard the screech of the breaking car when Audrey knew that something was wrong but her conscious mind hadn't yet registered what it was, just a peripheral sense that something bad was happening, and happening fast. The screech of the tyres conjured up the memory of her Groundhog day, that horrible day when she'd heard the same sound before watching Duke die, and then again, before watching Nathan die. Oddly, in that moment her grief was not for herself, it was for them, for the memory of losing them, and on some level she realised that their roles had been reversed and this time it would be Nathan or Duke crying over her.

"Audrey, Audrey, wake up!" the familiar voice reached out to her through the fog of her conclusion. The puffy white clouds in the sky above swam mysteriously in the blue summer sky.

"I'm not asleep Nathan," her voice rasped groggily and she tried to sit up. Everything hurt and she almost lost her tenuous hold on consciousness.

"Stay still. The ambulance is coming," Nathan's warm voice soothed her, she was vaguely aware that it was holding her shoulder and stroking her hair.

Then in an odd moment where fantasy collided with reality Nathan's face dissolved and it was Vince hovering over her. "Vince?" Audrey asked, bewildered.

"Dave called Nathan, he'll be here in a minute, you just stay with me girl," Vince instructed. "This town isn't ready to lose you again."

"I'm not ready either," Audrey rasped. She couldn't understand why she was thirsty, she'd been hit by a car not gone out for a jog, why was she so thirsty? "Nathan?" she asked again as another silhouette swam into view.

"Sorry to be a disappointment but it's just me, Dave. Your young man will be here momentarily though, don't you worry about that," Dave reassured her. Audrey nodded slightly and tried to crack a smile over Dave's choice of words. She didn't have the energy to argue that Nathan wasn't really "her young man."

"Audrey?" a panicked voice joined the crowd. Urgh, Audrey thought to herself, someone should be moving onlookers away, there was never a cop around when you needed one, she thought ironically. But then Duke's head popped into view and she was glad to have more company. "What happened?"

"Near as I can see car hit her, nothing mysterious about it, old Mrs Woodsen's sitting over there polishing her glasses and crying, I'd say the old bat needs to hand in her licence, should get a bicycle, much better for the environment anyway," Dave explained.

"Okay Grandpa, but how's Audrey, can you move?" Duke asked anxiously.

"We told her not to move until the ambulance gets here," Vince interrupted with a tone that said he didn't think much of Duke's attitude. "She'll do more damage to herself if she moves before she's been checked out."

Duke nodded with understanding and stoked her hair, just as Vince had a moment before. "You'll be fine," he reassured her. "I didn't like that blouse anyway," he joked and then swallowed hard, trying to hide how much seeing the blood splattered on her shirt. He was fairly certain that the wounds were only superficial, he noted the grazes on her arms and the gash in her head but still, he worried, what if there was more, what if something inside was broken and it couldn't be fixed? Audrey was the one person who really believed in him, it was selfish but Duke needed Audrey, she brought out the best in him, he knew if she left he'd slip back into his old ways and the self-confidence he'd built up since Audrey had come to town would gradually erode away until he was the worthless wreck he'd seen in the mirror before he'd started helping her out, running The Gull, and generally aiming to be less than pond scum.

"Too Officer Agent Parker?" Audrey winced.

"Just a little, how about I take you shopping for a new one, I'm free Friday how about you?"

"You'll have to ask the Chief," Audrey smiled.

"Here he is, you can ask yourself," Duke responded and stepped back, because anyone who stood between Nathan and Audrey was going to find themselves flat on their back.

"Audrey," Nathan began, crouching and bending over her, he stroked her forehead and then cradled her cheek, Audrey leaned against his warm hand and smiled. She closed her eyes and relaxed. "Open your eyes Parker!" Nathan snapped the order and Audrey dragged her eyelids open. With his other hand Nathan felt her pause, it was weak but steady so when she gripped his hand he held onto it.

"Duke wants to know if I can have Friday off work to go shopping," Audrey whispered.

"What?" Nathan asked, confused and annoyed with Duke, now was not the time, but Duke shot him a look that said _play along you idiot_, so he did. "I don't know Parker, I'll have to check the roster, you're not asking for special treatments are you," he teased. "People might start to talk," he winked. It was hard trying to stay calm with his Audrey lying here looking shattered and vulnerable. There were so many things he wanted to tell her just in case, but instead he would stay strong for her, he would be there for her, he would comfort her in any way he could. "Do did you get a look at the driver?" he asked knowing it would distract her from the pain.

"No mystery there, it was old Mrs Woodsen, Duke says, she gave herself up, she wasn't even troubled, just driving while old and dotty. Make sure the medics check her out for dementia, she might need some sort of assessment."

"Not your problem Parker. So she wasn't…?" Nathan left his question hanging, knowing she would understand what that implied.

"No I don't think she's troubled. Probably would have been better for me if she had been, I seem to be protected from the troubles, from motor vehicles, not so much," she added dryly.

"You're a survivor Parker, you'll be fine," Nathan cajoled.

"I said the same thing myself," Duke joined in, "now if you'll step aside I think these lovely men in the cool outfits would like to check her out." Somehow the blare of the ambulance siren had barely registered with Nathan, he had been so focused on his Audrey, memorising her face, monitoring every breath and heartbeat nervously.

Nathan moved aside slightly and jumped into a long description of Audrey's condition, stressing that she'd almost lost consciousness and giving them lots of unnecessary suggestions like check her out for shock, she might have a concussion etc. The paramedics filtered the relevant from the irrelevant automatically as they got straight to work on her, calling assurances to Nathan to ensure the Chief stayed out of their way. They were serious and focused but from what Nathan overheard Audrey was doing okay. Still he hovered, his heart racing, sick in the stomach with worry. They brought out a stretcher but explained it was only a precaution until they could get x-rays. When they loaded her up, both Nathan and Duke volunteered to go with her but there was only room for one and it didn't take a second glance at Nathan's face for Duke to decide that Nathan was the one to go. Duke knew his place. "I'll meet you there," Duke promised. Nathan nodded curtly, his focus still on Audrey.

_**A/N: I'm thinking about making this part one of two, thoughts? (btw a big thankyou to everyone who asked me to continue "Time to Be Honest" that's always lovely. I'm thinking about it but the words haven't come to me yet. As far fetched as this sounds I handwrote "Time to Be Honest" in the car on the way home from work - well the first half of it - half way through we had a very minor car accident where noone got hurt except for my car, and being the twisted writer I am I was compelled to write a fanfic about a car crash, the imagine in my head of a worried Nathan running to Audrey's side was way too cute to ignore, Lucas must eat big bowls of cute for breakfast ;-) I think that's the longest author's note I've ever written! For much such musings check out thegreygull on tumblr).  
**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Gone**

"Hey Audrey, what about this one?" Duke asked with his characteristic cheeky bad-boy grin, holding up a ridiculous multi-coloured floral blouse that was clearly four sizes too big.

"Ha ha," Audrey scrunched up her nose and laughed.

"What about this?" Duke asked wiggling his eyebrows suggestively as he held up a complicated looking piece of lingerie which looked like it could have featured on the cover of _S&M Monthly._

"Dream on!"

"Oh I will," Duke grinned and then he leant towards her and before she could stop him he was kissing her deeply.

"DUKE, ARMPH, DUKE!" Audrey cried as she pushed him away. "Hey, I'm sorry but you know I don't feel that way about you."

"We almost dated," Duke objected.

"Yeah a long time ago, plenty of water under the bridge since then Crocker."

"I changed who I was for you," Duke countered, crestfallen and desperate.

"You changed who you were for yourself, and I'm proud of you, but I can't be with you Duke, I don't think I can be with anyone. Wait, where's Nathan?" Audrey started looking around urgently. "Where's Nathan?"

"That's right Parker, you can only be with Nathan, but where is he right now?" Duke asked and then his expression turned cruel and hard and he broke into hysterical laughter and then, like Garland, began shaking, turned into rock and cracked up and fell to pieces right in front of her.

"Duke, no!" Audrey screamed, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Wait, this can't be real. No not Duke," she sobbed. "Nathan! Nathan! Where are you?"

And then all the colour soaked out of the world and Audrey was filled with hope, it was just a dream, just a nightmare, or was it vision, a delusion? Was it the troubles? No it was something else, she tried to remember but she couldn't, all she could hear was the sound of the car breaking and something else… a voice. His voice.

"Audrey? Audrey wake up, please wake up," he whispered. Nathan Wuornos bent over her bed, holding her hand, with both of his, stroking it, kissing it, whispering to her. It was good that he didn't feel pain because he'd barely left her side in 24hours and his back would have been killing him if he was anyone else. As it was he was stiff and found it hard to straighten up. "Come back to me Audrey, wherever you are," Nathan whispered.

From inside her white cage Audrey Parker looked around, seeking the source of the voice, seeking the man she loved. Where was he?

**A/N: Sorry only a small instalment but there is more to come. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and for all the suggestions, they have all helped and I hope you like the little or big parts of them that I borrowed/took. Writing is so much more fun when it is something shared amongst a community of creative beautiful people. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Barely Breathing**

**Disclaimer: lyrics quoted from the song **_**Break Even**_** by The Script are not mine, it's a great song and they are very talented, check it out!**

Audrey lay in her bed upstairs from The Grey Gull her eyes were closed and she was savouring those last few moments in bed. The radio on her alarm clock had woken her and she didn't want to turn it off until the song was finished.

_**I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing  
Just prayed to a God that I don't believe in  
'Cause I got time while she got freedom  
'Cause when a heart breaks no it don't break even**_

Her best days were some of my worst  
She finally met a man that's gonna put her first  
While I'm wide awake she's no trouble sleeping  
'Cause when a heart breaks no it don't break even... even... no

What am I supposed to do when the best part of me was always you?  
And what am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up and you're ok?  
I'm falling to pieces, yeah,  
I'm falling to pieces.**  
**

Suddenly a memory came crashing down destroying her tranquillity. The memory of the dream, the nightmare, where Duke exploded in front of her. The real memory, the memory of Garland breaking to pieces followed on its heels.

It was ridiculous, she was in her pyjamas, but she wanted to run down stairs and check her friend was okay. Instead she got up, went to the toilet and brushed her teeth, when she came out of the bathroom she was surprised to hear the song was still playing. At first she was happy, she didn't often take the time to listen to music although she appreciated hearing a song she liked on Duke's jukebox or Nathan's truck's radio and when she did it was a treat, even more so if she found a song she could relate too but the song's magic had disappeared when she connected it to the horrible dream, and the horrible memory of Garland's death. She couldn't imagine what it must be like for Nathan, living with that memory every day, knowing his father had gone that way.

When the radio started to run the same lines over and over again,

_I'm falling to pieces, yeah, I'm falling to pieces, yeah, I'm falling to pieces, yeah, _like a skipping CD she realised something was wrong. The song had been playing for too long. She didn't remember how she'd gotten into bed, or what day it was. She just remember the car screeching towards her and looking for Nathan.

_To hell with my pyjamas,_ Audrey thought, wrapping a light dressing gown around her, _Duke's seen me worse than this,_ he'd fished her out of the water and stripped her naked on the first day they met. She flung open the door of her apartment expecting to run down the familiar staircase to Duke's but the staircase was gone, all that surrounded her was white. White. Thick White fog. White everywhere. Was this what it meant to be erased? Where the troubles over? Panic rose in Audrey's chest as the memory of the dream and the white connected in a horrible moment of realisation that something was very, very, wrong.

"What's happening to me?" Audrey asked herself. "What's happening to me!" she screamed. "Duke! Duke!... Nathan!" Her heart was racing, she couldn't step out into the white, something held her feet gulled to her doorstep. She glanced back at her apartment but knew there was nothing there that would help. Wherever she was she doubted there was cell reception.

Still the radio played, but it had gone back to the beginning of the song, _I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing /Just prayed to a God that I don't believe in…"_

"Nathan if you can hear me I'm trapped, somewhere, in a dream maybe, in a coma? I don't know but please help me," Audrey whispered. And then she closed her eyes and pictured his face and hoped and prayed that she would find her way back to him.

"Please can you tell me anything about her condition?" Nathan Wuornos begged the Doctor.

"Yeah we both think it's about time you stop holding out on us," Duke joined in.

"When she first came she was experiencing a cerebral edema, the swelling in her brain caused the seizures when she first arrived, it's not always immediately apparent after the accident which is why she seemed fine at the scene. I know its hard to believe that the inducing the coma was the right thing to do, it seems contrary to all of our impulses as loved ones, but the coma protected her brain, it's giving her time to heal, now we just have to wait, she should wake up on her own but we're doing everything we can for her."

Nathan nodded. "Thank you," Nathan replied with a heavy sigh.

"Thank you? Is that all you can say, how about we want a second opinion?" Duke's temper was rising and Nathan sighed again, he didn't have any energy left to worry about Duke.

"How about you shut up and hold her hand you idiot. I've already called every medical contact I have and they all say the same thing, we just have to wait. You don't think I'd do something if there was something else to be done?" Nathan looked at Duke with an expression of such total desolation that Duke crumpled into the chair on the other side of the bed and did as instructed.

"Okay Audrey," Duke began. "If you can hear us you know you need to wake up or else Wuornos and I are going to kill each other and there won't even be a half-descent cop left in town to investigate. We need you Parker." Duke felt a bit stupid talking to her in front of Nathan but he could see how close Nathan was to losing it and he couldn't think of anything else to help. Haven was full of the supernatural but this was natural, this was normal, and none of them were prepared for it. As a precaution Nathan had quizzed the Doctors and the nurses at the hospitals in Haven and the surrounding towns, they weren't experiencing a series of mysterious comas. They both spent so much time putting Audrey up on a pedestal and idea that a normal every day car accident could take her away from them was unthinkable.

"Yeah you heard him, we need you," Nathan agreed.

**A/N: **

**Darkillia's **_**Haven **_**fanvideo for Break Even by The Script is fabulous, please check it out on Youtube!**

**I hope the dreams/visions aren't getting too old too fast. I don't want to go overboard with them… but the potential to do something a bit different there was too tempting!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Once Upon A Time**

Duke paced back and forth across the length of Audrey's hospital room, which wasn't much more than four feet so the tall man covered the space in two and a half strides.

"Duke, go home," Nathan begged with irritation.

"Shh. I'm thinking," said Duke, holding up a finger. "Look, I know this is crazy, but have you kissed her?"

"What? No, what are you talking about?"

"I don't mean before the accident, I mean since the accident, have you tried kissing her?"

"You actually think I'm so pathetic that I'd make out with my partner while she's in a coma? Have you totally lost your mind. Go home Duke."

"Not that I don't think you're desperate, because I do, but I was thinking, this is Haven, weird stuff happens here all the time. It's got to be worth a shot. I mean think about it she's all sleeping beauty and you're the frog prince, and…"

"Duke you're mixing up your fairy tales, and you're not making any sense anyway, this isn't about the troubles. You need sleep."

"In need sleep? You need sleep. I've been here for the last, what, twelve hours? You've been here for days, the only reason the hospital hasn't called security is because you're the chief of police."

"Duke if you go home I will sleep here in the chair beside her bed, like I did last night, sleeping in an uncomfortable chair doesn't bother me, but you do bother me. A lot. And you're turning into a raving lunatic, not that that's exactly a stretch for you. Just go home. Audrey won't be alone, I'll call you if she wakes up," Nathan promised. The bags under his eyes were more like sandbags than overnight bags. His cheeks were even more hallowed than usual and his skin had taken on the pallor of someone who has lived on coffee, candy and lack of sleep for three days.

"Okay, I get it, you don't need me here. She doesn't need me here."

"She needs you Duke. You think I'd have kept letting you back into my life this past year if it hadn't been for Audrey? For whatever insane reason that I for one will never understand, she likes you, you matter to her, and with Audrey that means a lot, she doesn't make friends easily, she doesn't have any family, so we're it. You matter to her Duke."

"Thank you Poppa bear," Duke said with a nod. He was slowly calming down off his hyperactive panic attack of sleep deprived mania. He vowed silently to never watch _Once Upon A Time_ again, clearly it was messing with his head. "But seriously, call me if anything-"

"I will," Nathan promised again.

"Okay," Duke agreed and after awkward moment of hesitation he walked over to Audrey, kissed her on the cheek and whispered to her, "Okay gorgeous, I'm going to go and make sure your apartment and my bar haven't burned down or anything while we've all been here, I'll get some shut eye but I'll come back, I hope I can trust our Nathan here to be a gentleman, but if he's anything less I'll beat him for you, all you have to do is wake up and ask me okay Parker? Just say the word… Love you." The last two words he whispered so quietly Nathan almost didn't hear them, but he did and he shot Duke a scornful look from under raised eyebrows.

"Like a sister," Duke added, "A hot sister, but still a sister," and he winked at Nathan.

Nathan shook his head in a way that said, "If I wasn't so darn tired I'd have kicked your ass out of here hours ago."

"Love you too Nathan," Duke grinned.

Nathan grunted.

When Nathan and Audrey were finally alone again Nathan let out a sigh and rubbed her hand gently. "Can you believe that guy?" he asked her quietly. "He's the insane creepy little brother neither of us either wanted. I blame you; I hope you know that….. Come on Audrey wake up and defend him. Wake up and tell me to play nice. Wake up and say or do anything because I am going kind of crazy here without you. You're only just working out who you are, you're not done yet."

Nathan took a deep breath and let himself open up to his sleeping partner, "There are so many things I want to do with you. Hell we haven't even been on a proper date you. I want to watch a movie with you, I want to see your eyes light up in the exciting parts and feel our hands bump against each other's when we reach for popcorn. I want to teach you how to do decoupage just once so you can laugh at me the whole time and then I can laugh at how crap yours is. I want to throw you a birthday party where you don't spend the whole time locked in a box while some chameleon pretends to be you. I want to go dancing with you, even though I know you'll laugh at me, actually I want to go dancing with you _because_ you'll laugh at me." He stopped himself from telling her how much he missed that sound right now. "Alright Audrey, you get some rest and maybe in the morning you'll be ready to wake up okay?" he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

Nathan stood up from the horrible hospital chair and admired his sleeping beauty from above. Then he stooped over the bed, and feeling like a total idiot and a bit of a pervert, Nathan placed a gentle kiss on Audrey's lips. It was hesitant and their lips only met for a second, but if there was any merit to Duke's theory he was willing to give anything a go. It was wonderful and horrible all at once, feeling her lips, knowing she couldn't respond, not even being sure that he had her permission. "Sorry Parker," he grunted, embarrassed, "Don't ever let me listen to Duke again okay?"

Nathan sat back down in the chair, lent into a spare pillow a nurse had set aside for him, and pulled a thin hospital blanket he'd pilfered from supplies over his lap. "G'Night Parker," he mumbled in his low voice, and finally surrendered to the invisible weights tugging on his lashes.

**A/N: I was so tempted for her to wake up right then! I hope you don't feel like I'm dragging this out too much but we're getting close I promise. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A Trail of Breadcrumbs**

Audrey Parker sat perched on her bed, her arms wrapped around her knees, biting back tears. Her cell phone was abandoned on the bed in front of her, useless. She'd tried going out on the balcony of her apartment and waving to the skies, screaming for anyone who night listen but the white fog had encroached on the balcony too and that too disappeared. It was as if the world was contracting around her. None of the clocks in her apartment were working, they had all stopped. Audrey wracked her mind but she couldn't think of anything she could do to save herself. She had carried the heavy burden of saving her friends, troubled people and Haven, often by herself, but suddenly she realised how much harder it was to be the one that needed saving.

She considered writing a goodbye note, but she didn't believe that anyone would ever receive it. Wherever she was it wasn't on the surface of Haven, it was somewhere beneath the surface of Haven and the known world, she was trapped in this empty place, was this heaven? Was his hell? It seemed more like purgatory. The idea that this might be the place where she waited in between troubles terrified her. The idea that no one could save her was unspeakable.

She closed her eyes and willed herself into oblivion, anything was better than this interminable waiting. She had hoped to slip into a sleep like state but instead as she drifted away and felt herself lifted and transformed and when she opened her eyes she was in a beautiful forest, in and beautiful blue medieval dress. "Of course," she sighed, shaking her head. "As if this wasn't weird enough?" At least she couldn't see any more of the hideous white fog.

"Nathan? Duke?" she called, tired of the sound of her own voice. Tired of the desperate note she recognised in it. "Anybody? Help!"

And then she saw him and her heart sored, she knew it was impossible, delusional, possibly a sign that she was slipping further away, further into the terrible fantasyland that had captured her, but his face, his beautiful face, the familiar dark brows, the worried creases in his forehead, the schoolboy haircut, the five o'clock shadow, and the sea-blue eyes, the vision of him was like water on burning flesh.

"Nathan?" Audrey asked softly, hesitantly.

"Audrey," he replied nodding, and she ran too him. Nathan opened his arms too her and caught her in a tight embrace his voice tilted into an happy carefree almost childlike laugh and he picked her up and swung her around. "Thank God," he whispered. "I thought I lost you."

And he pulled away from her just for long enough to kiss her deeply. Audrey was surprised at first but she was so glad to see him, to feel him, she gave in and she kissed back eagerly, though her ever cautious mind was panicking n the background, warning her, _this isn't right, this isn't real._ But his strong hands gripped her back and she no longer felt like she was floating away into oblivion, dissolving into nothingness, she didn't feel trapped because Nathan was with her. In that moment she was two Audrey; the passionate emotional Audrey who wanted to give into the passion of her fantasy and live out their lives together in the woods, and the strong no-nonsense Audrey that knew they needed to fight back, that they needed to escape it and get back to their real world.

When Nathan released her from the kiss and held her head against his chest she found the strength to pull away, "Wait Nathan, this isn't real, look at what you're wearing?"

Nathan pulled back slightly and looked down at his clothing. His unbuttoned blue shirt, over a grey t-shirt and blue jeans had been replaced by the sliver mantle of a knight over a blue doublet. "What?" Nathan asked in surprise. "I look ridiculous."

"Yeah you do," Audrey agreed, "We need to find out what's happening Nathan. We're not meant to be here. What's the last thing you remember?"

Nathan frowned in concentration. The memories were hard to grasp at, far away, yet they were there, the car crash, Audrey's seizure, the hospital. It was all so foggy but it was there. "You were in an accident, you're in a comma, I was at the hospital with you…. I just went to sleep in the chair beside you."

"So we're trapped in my coma?" Audrey sighed. "But you weren't here before, I was at The Gull and I was alone."

"That must have been when I was awake, I haven't slept much these past few days, I've barely closed by eyes."

"DAYS?" Audrey explained. "How long have I been out?"

"Three days, I think, my sense of time isn't so great right now."

"Mine too," Audrey agreed. "Okay so, what have you found out about the troubled person who caused this? Do you have any leads?"

"There isn't a troubled person causing this Audrey, the accident was a normal, run of the mill accident, the Doctors said your condition is normal and you should wake up. They said you just needed time to heal."

"So, what, I'm causing this?" Audrey asked, the disbelief think in her voice.

"I know you're not exactly troubled but you're not exactly normal either."

"Okay, so most troubles, they're activated by stress by emotion," Audrey paced, thinking looking ridiculous in her medieval dress with her modern-day stance. Nathan wouldn't have been surprised to see a gun in its holster strapped to her waist.

"Almost dying is pretty stressful," Nathan quipped.

"What was I thinking about, what was the last think I said to you?"

"Actually you wanted to go shopping with Duke."

"Wait, I remember that, I dreamed that, I dreamed that I was shopping for Duke and then he kissed me and I realised it was a dream and I was looking for you, calling for you."

"You did mumble my name a few times at the hospital," Nathan supplied a little uncomfortably. The news that Audrey's coma induced dream/fantasy had involved kissing Duke wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear.

"I was calling out to you, from both dreams, the one with Duke and the one at the Gull, and here before you got here, but you're here now… I don't understand."

"Maybe there isn't anything to understand, maybe you can't solve your way out of this one Parker, how many troubled people have we seen that just need to calm down before they can control their trouble?" Nathan didn't voice the other thing that he was thinking, which was that many troubled people, himself included, had no control over their trouble. Maybe Audrey couldn't control what was happening to her anymore than he could control his not being able to feel. All he could do was hold out his arms to her.

Audrey gave Nathan a doubtful look but then let herself give into her feelings. Her feelings told her to go to him, to let him embrace her, to surrender herself to his comforting arms. She lay her head against his chest and closed her eyes and just let herself breath. She smelt his familiar smell and let his hands rub comforting circles on her back while his lips trailed kisses through her hair. "I never even told you I loved you," she whispered. "I was dying and I never even said, I love you. I'm sorry I just, I've never said that to anyone, I never had a parent or a sister or an anyone, I never even said it to my teddy bears and my dolls, I guess I never had any practice."

"Shh, you're not dying Parker," Nathan soothed. "And you'll get plenty of practice, because I love you too and I'm not going anywhere."

"What if you wake up?" Audrey whispered.

"Then I'll take you with me," Nathan whispered back. "Or I'll come back. I found you once, I can find you again."

"How?" Audrey whispered quietly.

"Duke," Nathan laughed. "He had this stupid idea that I should kiss you, I don't know, maybe that made all the difference, maybe it was just the exhaustion. But you'll never be alone Parker, I'll always find you."

"How do I know it's really you?"

"You know, I know you Audrey, and you know me."

The familiarity of those words and the certainty in his voice made Audrey believe that it really was true. Nathan was really here and he loved her and somehow she would be whole again.

"Nathan," her voice was so hoarse his first thought that was that it was part of the dream and he was just imagining that it had come from the woman in the bed a few feet away.

"Audrey?" Nathan asked, sitting up and taking her up hand again.

Audrey's eyes flickered open and then closed again and for a horrible moment he thought she was going to slip away again. When they opened again the light was back on in them and she smiled weakly. "Hey partner," she rasped almost incomprehensibly.

"I'm here, wait just let me get someone," he pressured the button for the nurse and then returned his full attention to her.

She mumbled something that sounded like water and he fumbled around looking for it. As he did the nurse arrived.

"She's awake!" Nathan announced all excitement. "She needs water," he added hopelessly.

"Calm down Nathan, I'll get it," the nurse oozed confidence. She quickly gave Audrey a sip of water, and then asked her a series of careful questions while shinning a light into her eyes. "Great," the nurse confirmed, "I'll page the Doctor Westerman but you're doing great Audrey, just try to stay very still for me and don't overdo it, Nathan can fill you in on the rest before the Doctor gets here."

And then the nurse was gone, "Thank you," Nathan called after her, his eyes fixated on Audrey. "You're back," he said stupidly, a goofy relieved grin on his face. One hand gripping hers, the other gently stroking the other side, the gesture had become so automatic over the past three days, Audrey was a little surprised but she liked it. "I has just dreaming about you," he babbled.

"Me too."

"Really?" he asked eyebrows raised. "You don't think."

"In Haven?" she would have said more but her throat was still try and sore.

"Okay maybe, wow. So you saw, I mean, there was a forest right, and we?"

Audrey nodded minutely.

"Don't move," Nathan said in a panic. "Your head."

"Fine," Audrey mumbled.

"I have to call Duke or I'll never hear the end of it," Nathan explained, but he couldn't quite bring himself to let go of her hand, so he settled for awkwardly fishing his phone out of his pocket with one hand while he held her hand with the other. "Duke? Yeah she's awake. She's good. Okay, bye," was all the attention he spared for their friend before returning his gaze to Audrey. His was still grinning stupidly at her, his eyes shining. "It's so good to really see you."

"You don't miss the dress," Audrey teased weakly.

"We really had the same dream, that's weird, even by Haven standards, but as pretty as you looked I'll take a hospital gown in reality over a ball gown inside a coma every day. You'd look gorgeous in anything anyway," he gushed.

It was all Audrey could do to keep from laughing, "Like babies," she muttered.

"What?"

"You… Acting like when there's babies," she mumbled and suddenly he deciphered her comment and laughed.

"Don't talk, you need to rest. You've said everything already, I remember all of it, though I still can't believe… whatever it was…"

"Thank you," she whispered, "For finding me."

"No problem," Nathan smiled, shrugging as if it was nothing, as if he fell asleep and woke up inside someone's comatosed mind every day.

**A/N: Thank you for each and every review this has received, you are all so amazing. I wouldn't normally be able to do such fast updates but his holidays and so much encouragement it was easy. At this stage I've got at least one more chapter up my sleeve so it's not quite over yet. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Back in the Real World**

"So there's TV and I've got books and music, and you know where everything is but I can get you anything you want, just ask."

"Okay Nathan, thank you, this is so so nice of you, but I already knew where most things were and I'm sure I'd work it out, and you don't need to get things for me, the Doctor said I can even go into work and do paperwork, I'm just not allowed out in the field until I've passed a few more tests, but I'm not that fragile, I'm not going to break if I get myself a cup of water. This is just a precaution, it really wouldn't be that bad if I went home to the Gull, Duke's downstairs most of the time…" Audrey was trying to be appreciative but she hated being treated like a child.

"No, please, stay, I want you to stay," Nathan reassured her and she could tell that he meant it. "After everything that's happened I'd feel better knowing you're close," he admitted. "I'm not sure I'd sleep too well if you were at the Gull."

"Look I know you went through a lot while I was asleep but I'm okay now, you don't have to worry about me."

Nathan gave her an apologetic nod but she sensed his stubbornness.

"About that, the coma, the dreams…" Audrey began. "I mean we haven't really. I mean do we just pretend that didn't happen? We could if you wanted too?"

"I don't," Nathan answered quickly. "Unless you want too?" In that sentence he wasn't the confident, capable police chief, he was wounded and vulnerable, the troubled boy the girls didn't want to talk to at school.

"It's not that, Nathan I just, god, why was it easier…"

"When we were trapped inside a make believe forest?" Nathan supplied.

"Well yeah."

"Because this feels a real."

"It felt pretty real when it was happening. I could feel how cold your armour was under my fingertips."

"And I could feel the velvet of your dress."

There was a quiet moment where they were both far away and yet closer than their physical distance indicated. Since they'd left the hospital there had been less hand holding, although Nathan had taken her arm during the walk into the house as if he was afraid she might fall and break.

"I meant everything I said," Nathan said awkwardly.

"I did too," Audrey answered earnestly. "I just. It's different now we're, here, and I'm staying with you for a few days…"

"We don't have to rush into anything," Nathan supplied quickly. "You're still recovering."

"Stop that. I'm not going to break into a million pieces. I might have had a Cinderella moment but I'm no princess."

"Good because I'm not much of a prince."

"You made a pretty good knight in shining armour though."

"A knight wouldn't have let you get hit by a car in the first place."

"You realise that I'm a person not a pet or a small child, Nathan you can't keep me tied up in the backyard to keep me safe."

"Because if you were a child I'd tie you up in the backyard?" Nathan teased seeing a hole in her mixed metaphors.

"You know what I mean Wuornos," said Audrey burring up a little.

"Alright, alright, sorry if I'm being overprotective, it's just because I care about you."

"Well lay off already, I like that you don't treat me like a girl and if you act all overprotective at work it'll get one or both of us killed."

"Fair point, but we're not at work right now so can I please get you something to drink?"

"You sit, I'll put the coffee on," Audrey instructed.

Nathan knew better than to argue with her so he sank into an armchair while Audrey banged around in his kitchen. It was nice to hear another person in the house and as frustrating as she could be her take-charge manner reassured him that she was back to her old self. What she'd said about their conversation in the forest had mostly reassured him but he wasn't going to push her for more while she was recovering and for now all he was focused on as making sure that happened.

Nathan closed his eyes for a moment, the weight of the past few days heavy on his shoulders. When he opened them what seemed like seconds later he had an odd moment of disorientation when he realised he'd fallen asleep. Audrey had found a blanket and thrown it over him. She'd had a cup of coffee and then settled down with a book in a chair opposite him. When he woke she had an amused look on her face.

"Hey there," Audrey greeted warmly.

"I thought I was supposed to be looking after you," Nathan protested, holding up a corner of the blanket pointedly.

"I think you're the one that needs a bit of TLC Wuornos."

"TLC?" Nathan asked confused. The term sounded vaguely familiar, from a real estate add.

"Tender, loving, care."

"Doesn't sound so bad," Nathan admitted.

"Good, so I'll get you a coffee, you'll be up all night after that nap."

"What time is it?"

"Almost eight."

"I can't believe I fell asleep."

Audrey shrugged. "You've had a rough couple of days, give yourself a break."

"Can I smell pizza?"

"I got one with everything so you can just pick off anything you don't like, I was sick of hospital food and you're out of pretty much everything and apparently being in a coma makes me hungry."

"Sorry I haven't been home to go shopping," Nathan apologised.

"Its fine Nathan, relax," Audrey reminded him.

Nathan couldn't help but return her casual smile. His house felt so much more like a home with her staying with him. He pushed away the sudden realisation that he would miss her company when she was ready to go back to the Gull.

**Authors Note: I was tempted to end the story with Audrey coming out of the coma but people had said they wanted to see him taking care of her so I had to go there, and we know from the show that an experience like what happened in the fantasy world doesn't automatically translate into a relationship, in fact on the show it would probably take another half a season or whole season for them to get anywhere! But because this is fanfic it's going to be slightly less frustrating than that. I hope. The next chapter should involve a visit from Duke and some more A/N cuteness. We'll see where we get to from there!**


	7. Chapter 7

**The Shopping Trip**

**AN: Last night I accidentally attached this chapter to _Time to Be Honest_ instead of _Crash, _****thankyou so much to the reviewer who pointed it out - I'd actually just realised that something might be up but I was on my phone and couldn't get back to the computer to fix it until now. So sorry to all my readers for such a silly stuff up, it was one of those nights where I kept getting interrupted and it was very late when I finally uploaded.**** Anyway I'm putting this chapter where it should be and then I'll work on a new chapter for _Time to Be Honest_**** ASAP :-)****  
**

"Morning," Audrey greeted Nathan warmly as he dragged his ass in the door. "I hope you don't mind?" she asked guilty, grimacing slightly at being caught wearing his dressing gown. "I forgot mine." Also hers was white, satin and totally impractical on a cold morning so the warm blue terry towelling that smelled of Nathan's musk had been far too tempting.

"No it's nice… I mean its fine, fine," he corrected awkwardly. He was gazing at her with that guilty half-smile and for a moment he'd stopped breathing. The scene of her in his dressing gown, in his kitchen, making coffee in the morning…. It was just too much of a good thing.

"I'm just making coffee, you look like you could use some," Audrey observed.

"Yeah I ran by the station early so I could check in with the night shift," he didn't add that he'd wanted to get back before she woke up.

"You should go to work, they must be struggling without you, I take you've missed a fair bit of work this week?" Audrey raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Yeah but you know Stan isn't as useless as we tend to make out. As long as I check in regularly and get them to give me the heads up as soon as anything out of the ordinary comes up they're fine."

"So Haven's gone a week without the troubles? That seems unusual in itself?" Audrey's brow furrowed.

"If I'd been thinking about it at the time it would have seemed sort of convenient," Nathan admitted. "You don't think there's a link though, there couldn't be? Could there?"

"We know that when the troubles come back I appear, maybe my coma, I don't know, affected the whole town? Or is that just the most self-centred thing you've ever heard?"

"Self-centred, no, you can't help that your – part – in this is significant, but I don't know, it sounds like a stretch," Nathan replied gently.

"It sounded like a stretch when I first realised I used to be Lucy Ripley."

"True." Nathan shrugged, "Whatever happened, it worked out okay. Its only a matter of time til something comes up but when it does I'll handle it, you take your time getting better."

"Don't say that, I'm going crazy already!" Audrey complained. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but can we please go grocery shopping? You're out of everything and I need some fresh air."

"As long as I drive I don't see why not, promise you'll take it easy though?"

"It's grocery shopping in Haven, not Black Friday in New York, I think I can handle it," Audrey teased. Nathan agreed reluctantly, though he had to admit it was good to see sunshine on her face again, he wasn't sure if he was imagining it but the colour seemed to be coming back into her cheeks. Still he cringed internally every time a car passed them on the street. Audrey noticed him bristle with tension and would have thought it was funny that he was the one scared of the accident repeating itself it hadn't been such a strong reminder of what he'd been through while she'd been asleep. She wasn't a regular girl, she would never be able to promise to stop putting herself in harm's way, and it worried her a little being so painfully aware of what it would do to him if something did happen to her.

"Well if it isn't Haven's favourite love birds!" Duke cried with excessive exuberance as he almost ploughed head long into Audrey and Nathan at the supermarket. Nathan was pushing the trolley, Audrey was flitting around grabbing things. Duke had a carry basket with a few essentials – milk, eggs, bread, chocolates and condoms.

"Duke," Nathan cautioned, bristling.

"Hey I was going to come and visit you today."

"We're so sorry we were out and missed you," Nathan remarked.

"Oh there's still time," Duke beamed mockingly. "So how is our star patient?"

"I'm fine, please stop fussing, both of you," Audrey returned. "Hot date?" Audrey queried eyeing the basket with a smirk.

"The chocolates are actually for you, the rest, well you know what the boy scouts say – be prepared, right Nathan?" Duke teased.

"You were never a scout," Nathan pointed out dryly.

"But you were though weren't you Nathan? So you should know these things," Duke said with a pointed glance at Nathan's trolley.

Nathan grunted his disapproval so Audrey figured it was time to interrupt. "How about you join us for dinner? I'm considering trying to cook something, seeing as I'm not able to do anything that's actually useful."

"Sounds great, you, me, Nathan," Duke replied ironically.

"Bring a friend," Audrey suggested, ignoring for a moment it was Nathan's house she was inviting these people too.

"Like a double date?" Duke asked with raised eyebrows. Nathan glared at him but then relaxed into a self-satisfied smile, let Duke bring a date, that left Audrey with Nathan.

"I guess," Audrey replied, still slightly uncertain and beginning to feel a little awkward about arranging this without taking to Nathan first.

"Well I'll see you two lovebirds later," Duke smiled and left.

"Just in case you're wondering, I didn't say anything to him about,… anything," Nathan reassured her awkwardly. He still wasn't too sure what there was to tell anyone about.

"Hey it's Duke, no explanation needed, I'm sorry should I have done that? I just invited Duke and a random stranger, whom for all we knew he may not have even met yet, to your place?"

"It's fine, it'll be fun," Nathan assured her. "It's not like we haven't go the rest of the day to ourselves anyway."

"Yeah of course," Audrey agreed awkwardly. She really did want to spent time with him but it was like they'd leapt a few steps in the normal procedure of things, they hadn't even been on a real date and now they were what, living together? It was a bit much, but not horrible either.

**A/N: Not so sure about this chapter but I figured just keep moving toward and the characters will speak for themselves. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Party of Four**

"Audrey, Nathan, this is Stacey," Duke explained, introducing a leggy blonde who looked to be at least ten years their junior.

"Hi Stacey, would you like something to drink?" Audrey welcomed. "We've just opened a bottle of wine." She wasn't actually allowed to drink herself yet but she was still doing the polite thing and serving the others, at least if the others got drunk she'd be able to hold any embarrassing stories over them, she might need a few embarrassing stories to keep Duke and Nathan in line.

"Maybe you should ask Stacey if she'd old enough to drink first," Nathan smiled this tone falsely polite as he shot Duke an accusing tone.

"Stacey's a grad student Nathan, Stacey you'll have to forgive Nathan when you're as old as him anyone under 30 looks like a high school student."

"We're the same age," Nathan retorted.

"But you're so much more repressed and boring than I am," Duke countered.

"Okay boys, lets call a truce for the night," Audrey intervened. "Sorry Stacey, I'd say they're not usually like this but they're_ always_ like this," Audrey laughed. "But if they'll both shut up for five minutes," Audrey elbowed Nathan to emphasis her point, "I could get you that wine if you'd like?"

"Wine would be great, thank you," Stacey smiled. "You have a beautiful home," she added politely gesturing to the candle light dining table.

"It's mine," Nathan volunteered. "If I'm allowed to talk," he shot Audrey a teasing look.

"Only if you behave," she warned, with a cheeky smile.

"So you live here together?" Stacey asked, gesturing to Audrey. "Duke didn't say if you were married."

"Oh we're not-" Audrey interjected quickly. "I'm just saying for few days."

"Audrey has a bit of a problem with cars hitting her, she gave us quite a scare," Duke elaborated.

"I'm sorry, that's awful," Stacey gushed, a concerned expression looking almost comic on her beauty pageant face. "You must have been so sacred."

"We were," Nathan and Duke agreed simultaneously. Stacey's expression changed to one of surprised concern, her date certainly seemed concerned about his friend. That could be a good thing or a bad thing, she wasn't sure yet, but it wasn't looking too good.

"I didn't really have time to think about what was happening," Audrey covered and they all relaxed. "So Stacey how did you meet Duke?"

"I'm visiting my Aunt and we went to The Gull for dinner," Stacey explained.

"So you're from a local family?" Nathan asked pointedly.

"Stacey's Aunt has only lived here for a few months," Duke jumped in quickly, his eyes flashing warning bells. Nathan and Audrey picked them the message easily enough, _don't mention the troubles._

"So Duke tells me you're both police officers? That must be really interesting work," Stacey offered. "I'm studying psychology at the moment, I'm hoping to work with juvenile offenders, I'm hoping to have the chance to make a real difference with troubled kids."

"Really!" Audrey exclaimed a little too loudly and bit her lip. Troubled teenagers? Seriously? "Well that would be very rewarding," she enthused.

"Stacey is a very kind and considerate person," Duke volunteered.

"So when did you meet?" Nathan asked, doing his best to hide the obvious dig he was making.

"Last night," Stacey replied readily, not sign of embarrassment on her face, Audrey admired her for that. "You must help a lot of people in your line of work?"

"We try," Nathan agreed.

"Nathan's actually the acting Chief of police," Audrey volunteered. "Did Duke tell you he and Nathan grew up together, they played Little League together," Audrey grinned, enjoying the embarrassed look on both men's faces.

"I bet you would have been really cute in your little uniforms," Stacey smiled.

"Oh he was," Duke agreed grinning.

"Hey I wonder if Nathan has any photos," Audrey teased.

"What a shame that I don't know where I put them," Nathan deadpanned.

"I'll have to look while you're at work tomorrow," Audrey teased.

"Parker," Nathan warned.

"You said to make myself at home."

"That's not what I meant," Nathan returned.

"Nathan has intimacy issues," Duke supplied helpfully.

"You live on a boat," Stacey countered, surprising them all.

"What's wrong with living on a boat? You said it was cool last night?"

"It is cool, but seriously if we're going to take about intimacy issues a boat can sail off at any time, some people might say you have issues with stability," Stacey paused enjoying the look of surprise on Duke's face. "But then others could just say it's a symptom of the lack of affordable housing in America and that you're empowering yourself by not being tied to a mortgage, everything's open to interpretation," Stacey reasoned half-serious half mockingly.

"I think I like this one," Nathan smiled pointing at Stacey.

"Yeah Duke needs a woman who can keep him in check," Audrey agreed.

"Well not everyone can have Audrey Parker can they?" Duke asked, giving Nathan a knowing look.

"No, indeed they cannot," Nathan agreed and with that he slipped his hand into Audrey's as if it was the most natural everyday thing in the world. Audrey was surprised at first but smiled and squeezed back. Maybe their impromptu dinner for four wasn't such a bad idea after all. Duke gave a slightly self-satisfied nod. _Way to go Wuornos,_ he thought to himself. _It's about time._


	9. Chapter 9

**Alone At Last**

"Thanks for coming," Audrey said automatically but honestly as she waved Duke and Stacey out the door. Stacey gave her a light hug and Duke dropped a kiss goodnight on her cheek as they thanked her and Nathan for a good night.

"Yeah Nathans' almost fun when you're around," Duke jibbed.

"And you're almost a grown up," Nathan returned.

"Drive safe," Audrey returned ignoring the two.

Finally the door was closed behind their guests and Audrey sighed contentedly. "Was it just me or did that go better than expected?"

"It wasn't too bad," Nathan admitted.

"Oh I watched you Wuornos, you barely stopped smiling all night, you and Duke act like you hate each other but I heard you laughing at his jokes, and Stacey's, you had fun. It was nice to see you relax for once."

"I relax," Nathan defended.

"Name one time?"

Nathan paused, thoughtfully. There was that cringe worthy night when he'd gotten drunk and danced with every girl in The Gull except for Audrey, probably better not to bring that up. "Okay so maybe I'm a little tightly strung," he acknowledged.

"Hey I like that you're serious, I like that you're a grown up, but it's good to see you let lose every now and again, you've got to know you can let some of those defences down around us, especially me," Audrey reached tentatively for his hand. There had been a lot of touching during the dinner party. When Duke put his arm around Stacey or rested his hand in her leg Nathan mirrored his behaviour, it wasn't that he was consciously copying, more than in the relaxed context of having dinner with another couple it felt okay. It would have only taken a questioning glance from Audrey to push Nathan back into his own protective bubble of personal space but every flash of her broad white smile set him at ease and reassured him that she was perfectly comfortable with this new dynamic between them.

"I know," Nathan agreed reluctantly, his voice low, his eyes meeting hers shyly.

"Good," Audrey agreed, returning his gaze as Nathan studied her. There was something about the way he looked at her, admiring but hungry, that suggested things without saying them. The hair on the back of Audrey's neck prickled in anticipation, though she wasn't certain he was going to do it, she wanted him to bridge the distance between them and kiss. They were still standing by the doorway, and somehow their bodies seemed to have crept closer together as they'd been talking, but his lips were still tantalisingly far from hers. She wanted to cross that distance and claim his lips with her own but she was all too aware that they were standing in his house, alone, and she wasn't sure she was ready to take things further, she wasn't a prude but she didn't want to rush things with Nathan, and if it ended awkwardly, if all her instincts were wrong and he didn't want this then it would be darn uncomfortable saying goodnight and sleeping in the spare room. But in that long moment she realised, doing nothing would be worse, it would be impossible to go to sleep another night in this house without kissing him, without actualising whatever had happened in the dream world of her coma and whatever had been building between them since she first arrived in Haven. "Because you're more than just my partner," Audrey whispered.

Nathan's face lit up, there was nothing to distract them or interrupt them, he was alone with the girl of his dreams and no one and nothing was threatening to kill them or anyone else. His phone didn't ring. It was late; most of Haven would be in bed asleep, someone that made their situation feel even more intimate. "You're more than just my partner too," Nathan whispered back and he finally gave into the desire he'd been fighting for longer than he cared to admit.

As he lent towards her one hand automatically found itself in her hair, another gentle but reassuring on her waste pulling her towards him. Audrey was just as eager and her body mirrored his fitting together perfectly. It began softly but quickly grew deeper. Nathan was lost in the sensation and smell of her so it was Audrey who broke it off, sensing they were about to turn a corner.

"Under any other circumstances I would say we continue but you've been drinking and I want both of us to remember this in the morning."

"As if I could forget this," he marvelled at her, weaving their fingers together. "You don't know how long I've waited for this, for you."

"I think I've got a pretty good idea."

"You knew?" Nathan asked incredulously.

"I suspected there was something more between us, if it was just physical it wasn't worth risking how well we work together."

"But it's not just physical is it?" Nathan asked, cocking one eyebrow.

"No, it's not… And then the accident… It was clear that we've got a connection, but I didn't want to rush things, I still don't want too. Whatever this is it deserves a real chance."

"I couldn't agree more."

"Okay, so we say goodnight," Audrey reasoned, trying to breathe normally and keep her voice calm and even though she felt like a nervous teenager, "We'll both still be here tomorrow,"

"Sure…. Audrey, I haven't had that much to drink but maybe after the accident, we should wait…"

"Yeah, we should, Audrey agreed, but she didn't drop his hand or make a move to go to bed. "Screw that, I'm sick of waiting. I'll be fine," she added reassuringly, and the strength and confidence with which she pulled his face towards her and claimed him lips in a fierce kiss confirmed her words. Nathan was physically and mentally unable to mount a counter argument. She consumed him.

THE END

**A/N: So this is the last chapter for "Crash," I hope everyone enjoyed the ride. Special thanks to nertoold54, DoubleBinConnecticut, Magpie003, STforRK, cherrygurl1225, Scarlotti and Elevine for all of their encouragement (sorry to anyone I left out, the Haven fandom is full of beautiful people). **

**I hope you're all satisfied with this conclusion, I will continue to build on A/N's relationship in **_**Time to Be Honest**_** but I felt this story had a shorter endgame in mind. It was inspired by (and rewatching) the episodes **_**Audrey Parker's Day Off and**__**Business As Usual**_**, both of which have some of my favourite A/N moments, and the latter of which is especially well written IMHO. This story gave them a chance to have a happily ever after without the troubles intervening, because as much as I love the show us fans deserve some respite from the angst occasionally ;-) **


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